Filling-feeler for looms.



J. ROBINSON. FILLING FEBLER FOR LOQMS. APPLICATION nun A'rmzq, 191o.'

970,644. Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSHUA ROBINSON, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO DRAPER COMPANY,

OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE FILLING-FEELER FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented .Sept. 20, 1910;

Application filed April 29, 1910. ,Serial No. 558,318.

I '0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ()SIIUA RoBINsoN, a citizen of the, United States, and resident of Lawrence, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement intional movement of the-feeler until filling replenishment is called for, such a structure being shown and described in United States Patent No. 911,672 granted February 9, 1909 to Northrop. I

A feeler-governor is provided, so related to the feeler that the latter prevents im pin ement of the governor upon the filling m t e shuttle until such fillin is exhausted to a certain extent, after w ich a hunter formingw part of the feeler-lock impinges upon t side wall of the shuttle'and the lock proper is moved to unlock the fe'eler so that its functional movement will be etfeeted when the desired exhaustion of filling is reached.

.Mypresent invention has 'for its object the production of certain novel structural features in a feeler mechanism of the character above referred to, whereby the feelerlock is made adjustable to provide for shutties of different widths, for filling-carriers having various diameters for the barrel por tions thereof, to take up wear, etc.

The novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a filling feeder embodyin one form of my present invention, the ad acent end of a shuttle and fillingcarrier or bobbin therein being shown, the filling being shown as exhausted to such a point that the feeler is about to be unlocked; Fig. 2 is an outer side elevation of the feeler mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with the shuttle and. filling-carrier indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the rear end of the feeler-governor, with the feeler and feeler-lock omitted; Fig. 4. is an inner side elevation of the feeler mechanism which is adjacent the shuttle; Fig. 5 is a side view of the feeler-lock as a whole, dc-

tached from the other parts of the mechanism.

In Fig. 1 the shuttle A of suitable character, and supposed to be boxed at the feeling side of the loom, has spring-jaws B to grasp the head of the removable fillingcarrler or bobbin C, the side wall of the shuttle toward the front of the loom having an elongated slot D through which the feeler can enter the shuttle.

The feeler E, ivoted to swing horizontally on a vertiu l stud F screwed into the hole G, Fig. 3, in the body of thefeeler-governor L, the beveled notch K in the forward end of the long arm E of the feeler, to cooperate with the upturned finger J on the controller I, and the transmitter H-having at its outer end a bent. part H, in practice provided with a cam-slot (not shown; through which the controller is extende maybe and are all substantially as in the Northrop patent referred to.

As provided for in the Northrop patent the feeler-supportis mounted to slide back and forth on a suitable support S, in prac tice mounted on a fixed part of the loom, the rear end of the feeler 1nd feeler-governor entering the shuttle through the slot D as the lay beats u on altcriuite picks, to touch the filling at ifi'erent places lengthwise of the bobbin. I

Herein the casting constituting the fe'elergovernor L has formed upon it a transverse,

sustain the long feelcrarnll E", the inner end of the rest being raised to form a fixed sto 2 for the inner longitudinal edge of said arm, and a longitudinal guide-way 3, Fig. 3, is formed on the feeler-gm ernor between the o 'iposite walls 4, 5, a pin 6 crossing the guideway and being fixcdly held in said walls. In this guideway the feeler-lock as a whole is mounted to slide longitudinally, and herein I have shown such feeler-lock as an elongated body 7 Fig. 5, upturned at its rear end at 8 to form a hunter, and at its front end the body is upturned at 9' and laterally enlarged to form a sto 10. The pill 6 extends across the top of tie body 7 and holds the latter down upon the bottom of the guideway 3, and the spring 11 which enhorizontal rest 1; extended beneath and to tain the feeler-lock in its operative position,

' said guide-rod being fixed in the stop and sliding through an ear. 13 on the support S, Figs. 1 and 2. At such time thestop 10 abuts against the front end of wall 5 and the hunter 8 is retained in proper position to cooperate with the sh'uttlewall when the requisite exhaustion of filling permits. A spring 14, Fig. 1, between the wall. 5 and the arm E restores the feeler E to normal position, substantially as in the Northrop patent.

, Herein the lock proper is the polygonal head 15 of a screw-stud 16 which is in threaded engagement with the part 9 of the body 7, the front end of the stud having a check-nut'17 thereon which is set up'against the adjacent face of thepart S), and the head 15 is conveniently made hexagonal, one of its faces shdably engaging the inner side of the wall 5 while its opposite face engages the straight edge or heel 18 on the feeler.

So long as the lock member 15 is in engagement with the heel 18 of the feeler E the latter cannot be swung on its pivot F to perform its movement, but when forward movement of the feeler-lock as a Whole carries the lock member 15 beyond said heel, or to the right, Fig. 1, the feeler will be unlocked and canperform its functional movement. As the member 15 slides forward or back it will be kept from rotation by its engagement with the inner side of wall 5, but the check-nut 17 is employed as an additional precaution, so that under no circumstances can said member 15 rotate accidentally.

The bunter'8 cannot touch the shuttle until a material exhaustion of the filling is effected, as will be apparent, but when the shuttle wall engages the hunter before the feeler-governor L impinges on the remaining filling the feeler-block will be moved forward and the lock member 15 will be carried out of engagement with the heel 18, thereby releasing or unlocking the feeler. When such exhaustion of filling occurs the bobbin in front of the projecting end of the feeler E is bare of filling, as shown in Fig. 1, and the' feeler will impinge upon the bobbin before the projecting end of the feeler-governor L impinges upon the remaining filling N, Fig. 1, so that if the feeler is unlocked it can swing on its pivot F, perform- 1ng its functional movement to effect cooperation between the finger J of the cont-roll'er and the notch K of the feeler arm E. This cooperation causes the controller I to be swung forward and the transmitter H to be rocked when the feeler-governor and feeler are moved forwardjbodily, as in the Northrop patent, to effect replenishment of filling in well-known manner.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that by moving forward the feeler-lock far enough for the lock member 15 to clear the Wall o, and by loosening check-nut 17, the stud 16 can be revolved to move its head or lock member 15 toward or away from the hunter 8. The nearer said member 15 is set or adjusted toward the hunter the greater will have to be the forward movement of the feeler-lock as a whole to cause said member 15 to clear the heel 18 and unlock the feeler, and the farther away said member is adjusted from the hunter the less will be the bodily forward movement of the feeler-lock to enable the lock-memberv 15 to release the By such adjustment, therefore, the

feeler. unlocking of the feeler is retarded or hastened, according to circumstances, and changes in the width of shuttles or diameter of bobbins are accommodated by the adj ustment described. I

It'. will be understood that when functirnal movement of the feeler has been effected the lay on its back stroke disengages E of the feeler and prevents any tendency to bend or twist it when the feeler is operatin'g, and also relieves the pivot F of some strain at such time.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2- 1. A loom having, in combination, a feeler adapted to enter the shuttle and cooperate with the filling therein, a feeler-governor, and a feeler-lock slidably mounted thereon, including a hunter to engage and be moved by the shuttle-wall, and a lock member adjustable independently of the hunter and normally cooperating with the feeler to lock it from functional movement, shuttle-induced movement of the hunter efi'ecting movement of the lock member to unlock the feeler.

2. A loom having, in combination, a feeler adapted to enter the'shut-tle and cooperate withthe filling therein, a feeler-governor, having a longitudinal guideway thereon,-and a feeler-lock comprising an elongated body slidably mounted in said guideway and having upturned ends, the rear end constituting a hunter to engage and be moved by the wall of the shuttle, a lock member adjustable independently of'said hunter and mounted in the upturned front end of said body and normally cooperating with the feeler to lock it from functional movement, and a spring The rest 1 serves as a support for the. long arm 3. A loom having, in combination,- a feeler adapted to enter the shuttle and cooperate with the filling therein, a feeler-governor, having a longitudinal guideway thereon, and a feeler-lock comprising an elongated body slidably mounted 1n said guideway and havingupturned ends, the rear .end constituting a hunter to engage and be moved by the wall of'the shuttle, a polygonal lock member having a screw shank in threaded engagement with the upturned front end of said body, said lock member normally cooperating with the feeler to lock it from functional movement and also being held from accidental rotation by sliding engagement with the outer wall of the guideway, and a spring to return the feeler-lock bodily to normal, operative position.

4. A loom having a reciprocating feelergovernor and a feeler movable therewith and ivoted thereon to swing laterally, a feelerock slidable longitudinally on the ,feelergovernor and com rising a body having an upturned bunter xed thereon and a lock member adjustable on the body and normally cooperating with the feeler to lock it from swinging movement, a transverse rest for the feeler, on the feeler-governor, and an upturned lug on theinner end of said rest, to limit swinging movement of the feeler in one direction.

5. A loom having, in combination, a feeler adapted to enter the shuttle and cooperate with the filling therein, a reciprocating suport on which the feeler is pivoted to swing aterally, a feeler-lock' slidably mounted on said support and comprising a shuttle-engaging bunter and a separate lock member rotatively mounted for adjustment independently of the hunter and normally cooperating with the feeler to lock it from functional movement, and a device on said support in sliding engagement with said lock member to prevent accidental rotation thereof. r

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribm witnesses.

L OSHUA ROBINSON. Witnesses: FRED A. MORGAN, NEWTON P. FRYE. 

